I fell in love with MY PATIENT

After saving a man's life, Kirstie Gabriel, 32, developed unexpected feelings

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Growing up, all I wanted to do was work in a hospital, and it turned out that by following my dreams, I also found the love of my life. Only, the person I fell in love with was a patient in my care who was fighting to stay alive.

In early 2013, aged 20, I was working as a healthcare assistant at Bedford Renal Unit, caring for outpatients with kidney failure.

Each patient came to the unit at least three times a week for dialysis treatment, and, with six patients per shift, I was usually busy fitting IV needles and checking dialysis machines.

During quiet moments, I'd sit with patients and chat, asking them about their families, jobs and lives outside the unit. The majority were over 50, as the risk of developing kidney failure increases with age. But in May 2013, a new patient, Ethan, then 19, arrived for his first dialysis treatment.

Despite being very ill, he had a bright smile, lovely eyes and a friendly face. As I tended to him, he opened up about his sudden illness, explaining he'd been studying for A levels and hoping to go to Birmingham University to study environmental health when he'd started feeling achy and sick.

At first, he'd assumed he had a stomach bug, but when the symptoms didn't ease and he was struggling to pass urine, his GP ran tests which showed his kidney function was low.

Life threatening

Sent straight to hospital, he was diagnosed with kidney failure – a long term, unexpected effect of him being born prematurely at 29 weeks. Doctors had warned that his only hope was a kidney transplant, which left him and his family panicking.

Now, just weeks later, his parents and siblings were being tested as potential donors, but until a match was found, he needed regular dialysis to stay alive.

Previously an active, sporty teenager, he was terrified, depressed, and worried about dying. We were similar in age and I felt so bad for him.